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Method and system for the extensibility of objects
| Details |
Inventors: Turkowski, Kenneth E.;
Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc. (Cupertino, CA)
Primary Examiner: Black; Thomas G.
Assistant Examiner: Homere; Jean R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Carr & Ferrell LLP
A data structure is disclosed in which stored objects in a computer system can be extended. The data structure contains a header containing encapsulation information related to the stored object, data describing the essential elements of the object, and at least one subobject extending the description of the object. Header information includes metafile identification, version and revision numbers, endian code information as to the ordering significance of the stored data and a table of contents. Encapsulation information describes the size and type of the individual objects. Essential elements and extensibility data permit additional attribute information to be used and shared among applications which utilize the object. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION In accordance with the present invention, a method and system are disclosed for an extensible object data structure for use by computing machines.
The data structure resides in computer mass storage, the mass storage typically consisting of a metafile of individual objects.
The metafile contains a header field, which identifies attributes of the metafile including the metafile name or other identifying label, version number, revision number, endian code type, the remaining header size, and the location of the table of contents.
Following the header, the metafile contains a sequential collection of objects, each of which may contain one or more subobjects supplementing the attributes of the object.
The object has an encapsulation data field which includes type and size information.
The object further contains essential data which is accessed by the computer application program in the utilization of the object.
Following the essential data, the object contains extensible data which further modifies and enhances object functionality after the object has been initially created.
Each object can contain one or more subobjects, which are appended to the object extensible data.
Analogous to the objects, the subobjects contain encapsulation subdata including subtype and subsize.
The subobject also contains essential subdata and extensible subdata, for enhancing subobject functionality.
The presence of subobjects appended to the object is identified by reference to the object size field.
When subobjects are to be included within the object, the object size field is increased to account for the additional data space utilized by the subobject.
When reading the object, the processor of the general purpose computer checks and internally stores the contents of the object size field and as each subobject is processed the space utilized in each of the subobjects is subtracted from the stored object size field.
In this way, when the processor has completed reading data from each subobject, the contents of the stored object size field can be checked to determine whether additional subobjects are present
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